It is common, particularly when driving a rented automobile or one of several owned automobiles, to pull into a gas station without realizing the location on the automobile of the filler opening for the gas tank. Considerable inconvenience can be experienced if the filler opening tank is on the side of the automobile remote from the gas pump and, as a consequence, it is necessary to drape the gas line or hose across the automobile to reach the filler opening also with risk of damage to the paint work and gas spillage.
In some instances, the hose or gas line will still be too short and it will be necessary to replace the gas line on the pump, get back into the vehicle and change its position.
It is believed that as many as 30% of all drivers align their automobiles with the gas filler opening on the wrong side of the car, remote from the gas pump.
It has therefore long been desirable to provide some means for automatically reminding the driver of the position of the gas filler opening on the car when he decides to purchase gas.
It is of course well known to provide stickers carrying advertising material which adhere to windscreens and other parts of the automomobile to advise the driver when the next service is due and the lubricant to be used. However, such stickers do not provide for variable location direction indication.
According, to the invention, there is provided a display device comprising a sticker sized to adhere to the instrument panel or dashboard of an automobile adjacent the fuel level indicator, and carrying indicia indicating the position of the filler opening of the gas tank and, preferably, desired advertising material.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a set of stickers or labels each adapted in size to adhere or otherwise be secured to the instrument panel of an automobile at a location adjacent the fuel level indicator, the stickers carrying, respectively, different indicia indicating the correspondingly different locations of the filler cap opening on the car and, preferably, advertising material such as a logo, other trademark of or name of the gas supplier.
Accordingly, the opportunity arises when an automobile pulls into a gas station with the filler opening on the remote (wrong) side for the attendant to select and offer or affix the correct sticker indicating the correct location of the filler opening to the dashboard.
As the driver normally looks at the fuel level indicator several times during any trip and, in particular, at the moment of decision to buy gas or recognition of need of gas, he will also have seen the adjacent sticker and have repeatedly (and automatically) been reminded of the correct location of the gas filler opening learning it quickly. At the same time, he will very quickly remember the logo of the advertiser thereon associating it with gratitude for the assistance provided.
The advertising material or logo can be of a beverage or other supplier instead of the gas company or garage.
Preferably, the labels or stickers of the set are located in side-by-side relation on a common backing strip for selective removal from the strip as required.
The indicia can take many forms, such as a picture of the gas pump with the delivery nozzle on the side thereof corresponding to the location of the gas filler opening on the automobile, or such markings as "R", "L" etc., appropriately directed arrows or other signs.
According to another aspect, the invention provides an instrument panel or dashboard of a vehicle carrying indicia adjacent the fuel level indicator indicating the position of the gas filler opening on that vehicle.